AJ Hair Studio Owner: Models Are My Friends & Photos Were Shared Online With False Caption
The hairstylist said netizens had misunderstood the content shared on his personal profile just because it has Thai music.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 09 Jun 2022, 01:34 PM
The owner of AJ Hair Studio Puchong has pleaded with netizens not to defame his salon as so much is at stake for him to launch and grow it into a successful business
In a Facebook Live broadcast last night, 8 June, the 35-year-old owner said his business has been severely affected by the visits from the police, the criminal investigation department (CID), and the Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) since the controversy.
"All of them came to my shop. Wow! Thank you for the support. [...] Everyone has helped me share about my business and let people know about AJ," he said in the 50-minute livestream.
"But I have to stress that I am an honest man and I am not fooling around."
The hairstylist said he had spent six years thinking about the grand opening of his salon, understanding full well the importance of the ceremony as it is how people find out about his business.
"If the grand opening does not have a sports car or amoi (young women), no one would want to watch it," he said.
"I am afraid of losing money. I am young, and up till now, I do not have much money. I gathered some money to open the shop."
"I am very happy that it is now open but netizens accused AJ of offering 'special massage' services."
The owner of AJ Hair Studio Puchong appeared in a live stream yesterday, 8 June, to talk about the recent controversy.
Image via AJ Hair Studio Puchong (Facebook)"Abang and amoi, please. You got the wrong idea," the owner clarified.
He said that he understood Malaysia is a multiracial country but defended his business over the recent controversy as the grand opening attended by slinky-dressed models was just a marketing gimmick.
"I uploaded the photos to my personal profile but I don't know who took the photos and uploaded them to a Facebook group, writing a false statement to claim that AJ Hair Studio Puchong has 'special services' with the prices listed down," he said.
"I am telling you now that (the information) did not come from me. I didn't do that. Here is Malaysia and I am a Malaysian. I only do good things."
Over the past two days, he said authorities have visited the establishment while his customers were receiving haircut and hair colouring services.
"Abang, how do I make money?" he lamented.
"My father is old. If I have no money, how do I survive in Malaysia?"
He also shared that the lockdowns during the pandemic made it difficult for him to make a living as a hairstylist and he is glad to see the country is recovering in the endemic phase.
He said he borrowed money from people around him to start the business, relating emotionally that "I cannot afford to fail".
Throughout the livestream, he reiterated multiple times that the models are his friends and the photos were uploaded on his personal profile
"I want to tell everyone that AJ Hair Studio (is run) by me alone, my friends came to the grand opening to support me, to take photos," he stressed, adding that the photos were shared among themselves for fun.
"Don't share photos of my friends to another group but you can share the photos of my face. Don't share faces of my friends because we are a family."
He said netizens misunderstood the content shared on his personal profile just because it has Thai music, justifying that it was just to create a "feel".
The owner also refuted news reports that stated he is operating without a license, saying that neither he nor his father is a 'Tan Sri' or 'Datuk'.
The 35-year-old then brought his livestream audience on a tour of his salon, proving that there are no secret rooms at the premises to offer shady services
He showed that the front of the salon has four seats offering haircut services for men, while the back has six seats offering hair colouring services for women.
He explained that he made the separation because he understands that his female customers do not like men looking at them while receiving hours worth of services.
The owner said AJ Hair Studio offers a transparent "1Malaysia flat price" for colouring at RM150 and RM250 for bleaching and colouring.
